McDonald's food results in high AHI?

[napstress]

I believe that the two hamburgers with extra pickles and small fries I had for lunch yesterday resulted in an unusually high AHI last night.

Before lunch I was feeling almost halfway decent. Not too tired and a bit clear in my head. Immediately after eating the McDonald's, I became exhausted. Last night I slept straight through 7.5 hours, but woke up worn out. I've been a waste-case all day. When I checked my numbers, I saw my AHI was a bit more than double what it usually is.

The last time I ate McDonald's (about a month ago) I wondered if it contributed to a high AHI I ended up having that night, but I was also wondering if it was allergies kicked up from leaf-raking. Now I'm pretty sure it was the food.

Does anyone know what it is about what I ate that triggered the instant coma and subsequent struggle to breathe while sleeping? High in saturated fats? High in salt? It wasn't like I ate large quantities of food: yes, there were two hamburgers, but it wasn't a quarter-pounder. And I removed the bottom half of each bun and put them together, so the amount of carbs I took in was limited to essentially one bun and small fries.

I don't eat at McDonald's often. Maybe it's like alcohol: I'm a lightweight!

Has anyone noticed specific foods affecting their AHI?

[NightMonkey]

McDonald's food results in high AHI?

No Napstress, McDonald's food will not cause a high AHI.

But eating it might.

[napstress]

I'm glad I didn't put "McDonald's results in high AHI": I'd have to avoid the building altogether!

[BlackSpinner]

Probably all the additives like MSG? It is not like it is "pure" food. Those fries are pure re-constituted chemicals with a potato binder.

[chunkyfrog]

Speaking of the clown's kitchen, a couple weeks ago, I experienced a bout of nausea out on the highway.
The nearest 'facilities' were at a McDonald's.
From the car to the door, I inhaled enough fry odor to completely eliminate my suppression of reverse digestive processes,
allowing me to barely arrive at the altar in time to make my offering.
Having thus proffered my all, I felt much better.
McDonald's IS good for something.

[Janknitz]

First, I bet you had way more carbs than you think--a top and bottom bum half, an order of fries, plus all the added sugar in ketchup and any other sauces (usually high fructose corn syrup). And did you have a sweetened drink??? That's a LOT of carbs and the insulin response could cause your ahi.

Another possibility was GERD from the food you ate.

BTW, the saturated fat is probably not as bad as you think. Fries are fried in vegetable oil and mayo is made with it, a polyunsaturated fat that can be REALLY bad for you--corn or soy oil is common(usually genetically modified), PUFAS are fragile so they are highly oxidized and cause inflammation. Research shows that saturated fat is NOT the villan we always thought--it does not increase your cholesterol and is not responsible for heart disease (that honor goes to carbs!).

You would be better off to eat the meat, skip the buns and fries and sugary drink. Fast food isn't great for you but you can eat there occasionally without killing yourself.

For some enlightenment, watch the movie "fathead" which is on Netflix available for streaming. Or, if you are more science-minded, look for this on YouTube: "how bad science and big business created the obesity epidemic".

[perpacity]

Not at all unlikely, if we share anything in common with rats. The human studies I have seen involving this theory have been fundamentally flawed in methodology due to sample size and duration of study.


I often wonder which lobbies are behind furthering research on topics such as these: http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v15/n ... 7169a.html

[ozze_dollar]

Only one answer. Dont eat McDonalds anymore.

[Kody]

Well nothing seems to be able to keep the average person out of places like this, me included at times. So besides having their calories listed, there should be a sign on the wall saying "Warning to all sleep apnea patients, eating our food may lead to much higher AHI's". That would probably deter me more than anything else!

[SleepyToo2]

Have you ever been tested for wheat sensitivity or celiac disease? Wheat causes sleepiness in some people - combine that with other possible chemicals/sugar/salt in the rest of the "Happy" meal, and you could well be getting to sleepy!

[Goofproof]

More than likely eating there didn't cause higher AHI, but I have noticed that the drive-thru dose cause my blood pressure to spike. Jim

[napstress]

And did you have a sweetened drink???

No, I drink soda even more rarely than I eat McD's. I can't see wasting carbs on something as spiritually empty as soda: I'd rather eat chocolate! I also rarely eat items with HFCS, so maybe, like you said, between the bun and the ketchup it affected me. It was such a small amount though! But since I eat them rarely maybe they affected me more. I don't remember McDonald's slamming me so hard when I was a kid and would eat it weekly.

Research shows that saturated fat is NOT the villan we always thought--it does not increase your cholesterol and is not responsible for heart disease

Yes, that's what I have understood, too, over the past few years. I was grasping at anything to try to figure out what could cause such stupor. A heavy meal sometimes makes me sleepy.

Probably all the additives like MSG? It is not like it is "pure" food. Those fries are pure re-constituted chemicals with a potato binder.

Thanks: didn't know this. I think this about sums it up.

So besides having their calories listed, there should be a sign on the wall saying "Warning to all sleep apnea patients, eating our food may lead to much higher AHI's". That would probably deter me more than anything else!

Great idea! It would work for me!

Have you ever been tested for wheat sensitivity or celiac disease? Wheat causes sleepiness in some people - combine that with other possible chemicals/sugar/salt in the rest of the "Happy" meal, and you could well be getting to sleepy!

I wondered about celiac, but tested negative for it. A Naturopathic Physician told me about a decade ago that I have a food allergy to a variety of grains, including wheat. At times over the years I've tried to eliminate it, but have not been able to sustain that diet.

Does anyone have their own, personal food Kryptonite in terms of AHI?

[idamtnboy]

Those fries are pure re-constituted chemicals with a potato binder.

They really aren't quite that bad! Fries are real slices of real potatoes, but they are subject to a lot of processing like precooking and soaked in who knows what all kinds of sugars and oils and such. The goal is to have a consistent finished product from a consistent cooking time from pounds and pounds of frozen fries. Just think of them as badly abused real potatoes! You know, if consumers weren't so picky and would accept a few undercooked or burnt fries in that bundle of fries they buy for a buck, they could be a bit healthier! The owner of the local Burger King said he was in France a couple of years ago, and had some french fries at some French restaurant. Hardly preprocessed, cooked in lard, unhealthy as hell, and damn good!

[Perrybucsdad]

All I know is when I visit Mc D's (which is not that often any longer) their food (and just about any fast food these days) has a massive laxative effect on me (sort of like the one in dumb and dumber) where I have to head to the little boys room and pray that the stall has those grab bars for the elderly or handicap folks so I can grab hold and do a power dump.



John

[SleepingUgly]

Lovely, John. Thanks for sharing.